Say hi to Cohen Van der Velde, Director Strategy and Organisational Performance.

We sat down with Cohen Van der Velde ACC to discuss his move to Director Strategy and Organisational Performance after five and half successful years as the Director Community Infrastructure.?

Weeks into his new role, Cohen reflected on his career path, from beginning as a design engineer, to now, having been the Director of two different portfolios at Baw Baw Shire Council.

Before starting at Baw Baw, Cohen’s Local Government career began at Bass Coast Shire as a design engineer, where he spent 15 years broadening his skill set.

The variety of work and constant learning opportunities kept Cohen in the engineering field until others saw something in him that he didn’t see within himself, which lead to Cohen being nominated to take part in the LGPro’s Emerging Leaders Program.

At the time, Cohen had no idea that the Emerging Leaders Program existed, let alone someone putting his name forward to take part. The program helped to open his eyes to a whole range of new and different things, and it sparked an interest in leadership that hadn’t been there before.

Cohen moved from design engineer to project engineer then eventually manager of the infrastructure team before heading to Baw Baw Shire Council.

Stepping into the role of Director Community Infrastructure at Baw Baw Shire Council in December 2017, was a steep learning curve. “It was a time of significant change for the organisation, with a new CEO and a range of new directors at the time I started”.

“Most of the executive team were new to the organisation, and so within that team, we definitely supported each other because we were all going through a similar experience”.

Reflecting back, Cohen acknowledged the support he received from within the team, “It was a really challenging, but satisfying time.?I was so well supported during that time of change and as I found my feet in an executive leadership role”.

When discussing his career progression, Cohen highlighted that there were times where things may have seemed small, but in reality those experiences helped Cohen to pave the way in his career.

“I’ve always been a firm believer that local government is a fantastic place for people to come in and find what it is they want to do. I know so many people who have progressed their careers in local government, starting in casual roles or coming into a particular area that they’ve been trained in, then over time taking a totally different career path because of the breadth of services we deliver.”

“It can be easy to become a bit short-sighted in terms of your career progression, but I have always thought a step sideways shouldn’t be discounted as a career progression”.

Cohen attributes part of his success to his proactive attitude, “I have been encouraged to take?opportunities where I didn’t necessarily see myself, but I have also pushed myself and never just sat back. So, it has been a combination of pivotal moments where I had others see something in me and being proactive in my own career journey.”

“The notion of stepping out of your comfort zone is a big one for me. It is something that has helped me push myself.?I know that when something feels a bit uncomfortable or a little scary, that’s when I say to myself ‘this is probably something I should do.’ Really, self-doubt exists in everyone at all levels, it’s just something you need to work around”.

So, what is Cohen looking forward to the most in his new role?

“I am really looking forward to building stronger professional relationships with others across the organisation. I’m also hoping to be able to have a positive impact on individuals in this new directorate and their development”.

Any advice that you would give to someone wanting to try something new?

“Just, have a crack.”

“We often hear ‘What’s your five-year plan?’ Many of us are still searching for what we really want to do, let alone having a five-year plan.?I feel it's best to have a vague notion of what you want to do or where you might want to go, then just try things.?There are multiple pathways to move you towards that vague notion of what you want to do by trying something new or different.”

“Experiment in different ways, because through action and experimentation that’s the way you find your purpose. And once you find your purpose, you can find meaningful work in a multitude of different ways.?For example, if you find meaning in growing and developing people you might be able to do this through writing, or coaching, or leadership development.”

“When you start to experiment and take on different opportunities, you might just find your passion.”

We’re inspired by Cohen’s career growth and development at Baw Baw, and we are excited to see what the future holds.?